the english catholics vade mecam a short manual of general devotion

Front matter

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Preface

IN offering this short Manual to the Catholic Laity of the Anglican Church, it is perhaps advisable to remark that the object with which it has been comi>iled is to assist their devotions, and not to afford instruction- either on points of doctrine or devotional practice ; consequently, wiUi few exceptions, this little book will be found to contain no directions as to matters with which it may be presumed a well-instructed Catholic will be acquainted. Bound up with the Book of Common Prayer, the English Catholic's Vadb Mecum will supply in one volume of convenient size all the Prayers necessary to enable Christians to perform their ordinary morning, mid-day, and evening devotions, to assist at the Sacrifice, to confess and communicate devoutly, to commemorate the Sacred Seasons and Saints' Da3rs, to assist the dying, to pray for the dead, to carry on family worship, and to join in the public offices of the Church. Beii^ intended for Christians living in the world, the forms of devotion are brief, and are, as far as possible, broken into paragraphs, so as to allow of their being shortened or extended at pleasure.

The Orders for Prime and Compline are inserted as being useful forms for fiunily devotion, — a pious practice, which should be omitted in no Christian family, except where all are in the habit of attending daily some public office in the Church.

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It is yeHtuied to give the following suggestions as to the conduct of family prayers : —

If there be no Oratory in the house, let some devotional picture' or representation {e.^., a picture or figure of the Crucifixion, Christ in His Mother's arms, &c.) be placed* in a conspicuous part of the room used fqr tne prayers. (Such an object should never be esteemed out of place in any room used by Christians for purposes of their daily life.) Before the prajers begin, let all be seated, and let the master of the family read a portion of the Sacred Scriptures, never more than a dozen or twenty verses, lest more be read than can be reallv remembered, (the Gospels, the exhortatory portions of the Epistles, parts of Proverbs, Wisdom, Ecdesiasticus, are the best adapted for this purpose) ; then let the Office of Prime (in the morning) or Compline (at night) be said, all kneeling or standing with their faces turned towards the Sacred Object mentioned : the resemblance between the Ofiices given, and the Prayer- Book Mattins and Evensong is sufficiently dose to enable those who are well acquainted with the one, to know when to stand, kneel, &c., during the other. If the unvarving use of these Offices is found to be wearisome, (which many, however, donot think to be the case,) the plan might be diversified by having during one week Prime in the morning, and one of the Litanies, according to the day of the week, in the evening ; the next week a Litany in the morning, and Compline at night, &c.

The alterations and additions, which will be found in this Third Edition, have nearly aU been made at the suggtetion or with the advice of experienced directors of conscience and others, who nave found the book useful to their people.

PREFACE. V

Thanks must here be given to those who have kindly allowed Hymns, of which they own the copyright, to be made use of in this book. Specisd mention must be made of the Rev. E. Caswall, so many of whose very beautiful and devout compositions and translations enrich these pages, of the Compilers of "The People's Hymnal," and of Messrs. Novello, who have kindly allowed the insertion here of five of Dr. Neale's invaluable translations from "The Hymnal Noted" — ^viz., " Come, Thou Holy Paraclete," p. 5 ; " O God of truth," p. 9 ; " Jesu !— The very thought," p. 80 ; "Now that the daylight," p. 147; "Before the endings" p. 152.

The Compiler would earnestly ask all his bre* tliren and sisters who use this book not to forget his soul in their prayers, that, whether among the living or the dead, he may be found in Christ frayer 10 the -water of benediction, which, descending on the plants of our good desires, revives their verdnre, and makes them flonnsh^ cleanses our souls from their impexf ections, and allays m our hearts the thirst of inordinate passions.^iSif. ^aneis qf Sales,